1958 - Burnin' The Torch / Unchangeable Heart (Stepheny 1826)
Biography :
Pop vocal group from Chicago, Debbie & The Diplomatswere composed
by Debbie Kelly, Mel Johnson, Howard Berhalter and Bert Steling. The
group formed in the mid-1950s. In 1955, the quartet began to perform in
the clubs, restaurants, cabarets & palaces of indianpolis. Debbie
& The Diplomats gain a little notoriety in the region and multiply
performances.
They
backed some artist and orchestra and in 1958, the group can recorded
their own single "Unchangeable Heart" b/w "Burnin' The Torch" on
Stepheny record based in Evanston, Illinois and owned by Norman Forgue.
The group performed until 1962 before separating.
1963 - Joanie Don't You Cry / Wherever You Are (Amy 877)
Demos :
1963 - This I Swear
1963 - When I Fall In Love
1963 - That Lucky Old Sun
1963 - My Man The Moon
Ricky Lisi
1963 - The River / Don't Go Now (Roulette 4511)
Biography :
Ricky Lisi grew up in Queens, New York and was in his first group
"The Pharo's" when he was only 12 years old. In 1959, The Pharo's cut
four sides, "Gloria", "Lorraine", "Sunday Kind Of Love" and the original
"Mama Twist". After the group broke up Ricky formed the Original
Hallmarks with Bixie Boyle, Tommy Oliveri, Tony DeFeo and the lovely
Beverly Warren. Ricky really liked the Skyliner's at this time and on
the back of their album was written hallmark of their style, he liked
the word so much he christened the group the Hallmarks.
Beverly Warren Ricky Lisi
One
night while singing under the "El" (an elevator train line) on Queens
Blvd. and 43rd St in Woodside Queens, they were discovered by Tony
Powers on his way to the movies. Tony was a writing partner at this time
with Ellie Greenwich. Tony took the group into Bell Sound where they
would record "Like A Million Years". The next step was the Brill
Building where Leiber & Stoller pass on the group. Ellie liked Bev
and pulled her from the group to do background vocals and eventually had
her record "Like A Million Years" released on the United Artists label.
Ricky Lisi
At
this time both Tony and Tommy exited the group as well. Replacement
were Denis McMahon first tenor and from the Starlings, Jack Scandura.
With a much better Knowledge of how things worked and now knowing about
the Brill Building the group went into variety studios and once again
cut some demos : "This I Swear", "When I Fall In Love", "That Lucky Old
Sun" and the original "My Man The Moon". They would end up at the door
of Wemar music where Johnny Brandon decided he would record the group.
The group was brought into Mira Sound Studio as the Four Seasons were
leaving. The two side recorded that night were "Joanie Don't You Cry"
and "Wherever You Are". The songs were placed with Amy records a
division of Bell. At the sessions, Paul Simon played guitar. The records
didn't do much and the group broke up after they recorded "Don't Go
Now". The Powers to be decided they didn't like the way the recording
came out and shelved it. In the meantime the Concords would record it
and Ricky himself would have a 45 release of the tune with the Concords
on Back Up.
Oscar Toney, Jr. grew up in the forties in Columbus, Georgia. He
began singing with local Gospel quartet The Sensational Melodies Of Joy
while barely into his teens. Young Oscar won the amateur competition at
the landmark Liberty Theater so many times that he wasn't allowed to
enter them anymore. By the late fifties, The Sensational Melodies took
to singing doo-wop as well, calling themselves, simply, The Melodies. In
1958, Toney and his two brothers formed another vocal group called The
Valentines, eventually changing their name to The Searchers, as their
own version of the Coasters' Searchin' had become their signature song.
Oscar Toney Jr.
Although now a ‘Kayo’, Oscar also remained with The Searchers who, in
November 1960, cut a 45 for Cement McNally’s Mac label (#351) at a New
Orleans radio station. The ballad side “Yvonne” was written by (and
features thee-part harmony by) Oscar and his two brothers, while Walker
and Thomas weren’t present. The backing is supplied by The Kayos. The
flip was the more up-tempo “Little Wanda”. Cement McNallywas also the
leader of the 'house band', The Kayos. Another Searchers Mac single,
“Love” c/w “Oh Why Cha Cha Cha”, it was really a Kayos recording put out
by McNally under The Searchers’ name, with the Kayos other front-man
Sonny Williams on lead vocals.The Searchers had been around for about 4
years but now the other members decided not to make a career out of
singing and Oscar was left to carry on both as a solo act and as a
featured vocalist with the Kayos.
1959 - Seventeen Steps / Johnny Rhythm (Lucky Seven 102)
1959 – Bullseye / Just For Me (Dart 109)
Charles Perrywell[sic!]& His Fairlanes
1961 - Your [sic!] Lonesome Now / Come Along With Me (Tic-Toc 104)
Unreleased demo:
1961 - I Hear Someone (Goldband)
Biography:
Charles “Diamond” Pennywell was born in Shreveport, LA and formed a
little vocal group called the Fairlanes for whom he sang lead. Their
first record was “Seventeen Steps” b/w “Johnny Rhythm” for Dee Marais’
Lucky Seven label, released in April 1959. The haunting ballad
"Seventeen Steps" tells the feelings of a death row inmate watching
fellow inmates, one by one, walk the seventeen steps from the holding
cell to "...that death cold chair..." knowing he'll be walking them
tomorrow. Johnny Rhythm" is an up tempo tune rocker.
Charles Pennywell (1963)
November 1959 saw the release of “Bullseye”, a Coasters-style up tempo song, backed with another great Charles Pennywell led ballad "Just For Me," on Pappy Dailey’s Dart label. The Fairlanes were back in the studio in 1961 to record "You're Lonesome Now" and the up tempo flip, "Come Along With Me". This time they recorded directly for Eddie Shuler's Tic-Toc label, a subsidiary of Goldband."You're
Lonesome Now" was a soulful group ballad, again led by Charles
Pennywell. Oddly, when the record came out there were two misprints on
the label. First, the title was printed as "Your Lonesome Now" instead
of "You're Lonesome Now". And second, the artist was listed as "Charles
Perrywell" instead of "Charles Pennywell". Charles “Diamond” Pennywell
recorded for Smash in 1963 and formed the soul harmony group The
Sunlover’s in 1967. He is still performing.
1961 - Why Did You Leave Me? / Angel from Above (Highland 1025)
1961 - Lonely Blue Nights / We’ll Have a Chance (Highland 1032/ Brunswick 55205)
1962 - My One And Only Love / It Kinda Makes You Wonder (Globe 401)
1973 - You're No Good / I Don't Understand (Wax World 3265)
Unreleased :
I'm So Young
A Thousand Stars
There's No Other (Like My Baby)
The One Who Really Loves You
Confidential
Happy Happy Birthday Baby
Angel Baby (Re Recording)
Guess Who?
Just Because
Lp :
1962 - Lonely Blue Nights with Rosie (Brunswick, 1962)
Lonely
Blue Nights / Read the Story of Love / My Darling Forever / No Other
Love Will Ever Do / We'll Have a Chance / Angel From Above / The Time Is
Near / Baby Baby Baby / I Found a Dream / Maybe I'm Dreamin' / Cloud
Nine / It's Time to Go Home
Rosie
1961 - My Darling Forever / The Time Is Near (Brunswick 55213)
Biography :
The
band certainly had no thoughts of inviting such intellectual commentary
when they formed in San Diego in 1960. Unable to find a recording
studio in San Diego, then Rosalie Hamlin, then only 15, Noah Tofolla
(guitar), David Ponci (Guitar), Carl Van Guida (Drums) and Tony Gomez
(Sax) cut "Angel Baby" in a barn-like building in the farming town of
San Marcos, with a radically different B-side, "Give Me Love," with a
vocal by Bluford D. Wade.
Rosalie
Hamlin
The group had trouble
interesting Los Angeles labels in the song (a Hamlin original) until
they convinced a department store manager in San Diego to play it. This
attracted attention from kids in the store and a record distributor that
happened to be there at the time. Through him they got the single
"Angel Baby" released on Highland, and at the end of 1960 it shot up the
national charts. Although Rosie & the Originals recorded a few more
tracks, they broke up almost immediately after "Angel Baby" made the
charts, in a dispute over the terms of a recording contract they were
considering signing.
1961 - Dick Jacobs, Rosie & Nat Tarnopol
In
1961, Jackie Wilson's manager, Nat Tarnopol, got Rosie a contract with
Wilson's label, Brunswick. Brunswick did put out a follow-up single,
"Lonely Blue Nights," which made number 66, as well as an album and
another single, billing the artist solely as Rosie for all the releases.
In the meantime Highland put out a couple of Rosie & the Originals
45s with tracks to which they had the rights.
Rosie & The Originals (3)
"Angel
Baby," however, was one of those accidents of timing and unique
material that couldn't be repeated, and none of Rosie's subsequent
recordings -- which, like "Angel Baby," were usually simple pop/rock
ballads with a doo wop feel -- could recapture the magic. Hamlin did
make another single for the Globe label before leaving the music
business to raise a family with her husband, Noah Tafolla, who had been
leader and lead guitarist of the Originals. She did some tracks with
producer Doug Salma in 1969 in a more updated doo wop/girl-group style
that remained unreleased until 1999, when the Ace compilation The Best
of Rosie & the Originals was issued. ~ Richie Unterberger, Rovi
http://www.colorradio.com/rosie.html
Songs :
Angel Baby Give Me Love Why Did You Leave Me?
Angel from Above Lonely Blue Nights We’ll Have a Chance
My Darling Forever The Time Is Near
Read the Story of Love My Darling Forever No Other Love Will Ever Do
Baby Baby Baby I Found a Dream Maybe I'm Dreamin'
Cloud Nine It's Time to Go Home It Kinda Makes You Wonder
I'm So Young A Thousand Stars There's No Other
The One Who Really Loves You Confidential Happy Happy Birthday Baby
1960 - For The First Time / Take It From A Fool (Len 1006)
1960 - Annabelle Lee / Home Is Where The Heart Is (V-Tone 211)
1961 - May I Kiss The Bride / Time (V-Tone 229)
1965 - You Gave Me Somebody To Love / Doin’ Things Together With You (Warner Bros 5619)
The Dreamlovers
Singles:
1961 - When We Get Married / Just Because (Heritage 102)
1961 - Welcome Home / Let Them Love (And Be Loved)* (Heritage 104)
1961 - Zoom Zoom Zoom / While We Were Dancing (Heritage 107)
1962 - If I Should Lose You / I Miss You (End 1114)
1963 - Sad Sad Boy / If I Were A Magician (Columbia 42698)
1963 - Sad Sad Boy / Black Bottom (Columbia 42752)
1963 - I'm Thru With You / Pretty Little Girl (Columbia 42842)
1963 - Amazons And Coyotees / Together (Swan 4167 / Casino1308)
1964 - Oh Baby Mine (I Get So Lonely) / Those Will Be The Good Old Days (Cameo 326)
1966 - The Bad Times Make The Good Time / Bless Your Soul (Mercury 72595)
1966 - You Gave Me Somebody To Love / Calling Jo-Ann (Mercury 72630)
*Re-released in 1982 on Collectables LP 5004, but erroneously labeled as “Let Them Talk”
Unreleased:
1982 - Mother (Collectables LP 5004)
1982 - Let's Twist Again (Collectables LP 5004)
Album:
1963 - The Bird and Other Golden Dancing Grooves (Columbia CS 8820)
The
Bird / Black Bottom / Ballin' The Jack / Charleston / Loco-Motion / The
Slide / South Street / Let's Turkey Trot / Let's Twist Again / Limbo
Rock / Pony Time / Mashed Potato Time
Biography :
The Dreamlovers were formed in 1956 in Philadelphia by Conrad
"Clifton" Dunn , his brother James, William Johnson, Tommy Ricks and
Cleveland Hammock. Originally using the name the Romancers, they
recorded a demo for Cameo/Parkway before changing their name to the
Midnighters. In 1958, while still under that name, they went into the
studio to back Chubby Checker on his original recording of The Twist.
After lead William Johnson was killed in a street fight, the group
brought in Morris Gardner and a sixth member, Don Hogan, changing their
name to The Dreamlovers. After a short time with Len and V-Tone Records
in 1960 and early 1961, they signed with Heritage who released their
biggest hit, When We Get Married, which peaked at number 10. After a
couple of non-charting singles, they move to End Records who released
their only other Hot 100 song, If I Should Lose You (1962 / #62).
They returned to the charts on a smaller scale the next year with "If
I Should Lose You," a ballad for George Goldner's End Records, and then
managed to record quite a few delicious samples of East Coast R&B
groove and vocal harmony, including a slow doo wop-styled ballad ("I'm
Thru With You") and an infectious up-tempo dance number ("Anna Belle
Lee"). The group released singles for a variety of labels over the next
four years, including Casino, Swan, Columbia, Cameo, Warner Brothers and
Mercury, to no avail.
As they continued recording, their vocal style seemed to change with
the times, always sounding ahead of their time. "When We Get Married"
was later revived by the Intruders in 1970. The group continued
performing, including a short stint under the name A Brother's Guiding
Light, before breaking up in 1973. Members reformed in the early 80's
and continued to tour into the 2000's.
Songs :
Take It From A Fool For The First Time When We Get Married
Home Is Where The Heart Is / Anna Belle Lee Let Them Love / Welcome Home
Just Because Time May I Kiss The Bride
Zoom Zoom Zoom / While We Were Dancing I'm Thru With You / Pretty Little Girl
If I Should Lose You I Miss You Oh Baby Mine
Amazons And Coyotes / Together Sad Sad Boy / Black Bottom
You Gave Me Somebody To Love Doin Things Together With You Bad Times Make The Good Time
1962 - The Girl Across The Way / Why Can't It Happen To Me (Gambit 1102)
1963 - No No No / Tears Bring Heartaches (Debro 3178 / Roulette 4487)
Biography :
Vocal
trio from New York, they recorded in February 1962 "The Girl Across The
Way" b/w "Why Can't It Happen To Me" released by Gambit Records.
In December 1962, The Standards signed to Joe LaMonaco's Debro Label
an recorded "No No No" b/w "Tears Bring Heartaches" the single was
released in January 1963.
1959 - When My Teenage Days Are Over / From This Day Forward (Aladdin 3458)
Biography :
Raynoma was born to Lucille and Ashby Mayberry and raised in Black
Bottom, a Detroit ghetto, until her father’s income as a janitor at
Cadillac’s headquarters enabled them to move to a better neighbourhood.
At Cass technical school she played the viola in the school symphony
orchestra. She also played the piano and the harp, studied theory,
composition, harmony and arrangement, and sang in school and church
choirs. Her first husband, Charles Liles, was a saxophonist; they
married in 1955 and had a son, Cliff, divorcing after two years
together.
She
was performing with her sister Alice as a singing duo called Alice and
Ray and it was after winning a talent contest at the Twenty Grand club
in Detroit that they were introduced to Berry Gordy. He granted them an
audition at his house. Berry Gordy was impressed by her perfect pitch
and by her suggestions for improving musical arrangements, devising
introductions and fleshing out harmonies. She and her sister became the
nucleus of a group called the Teen Queens, later the Cute-Teens with
Marlene Nero and an old flame of Berrys called Mamie,
Raynoma Mayberry & Berry Gordy
Berry
Gordy produced a single, From This Day Forward, leased to the Aladdin
label in 1958. When Gordy released the first record on his Tamla label,
Marv Johnson’s Come to Me, in the early weeks of 1959, there was a
credit for the Rayber Voices, a backing choir that Raynoma had assembled
and which would be heard on several early Motown records. After the
birth of their child, Kerry, and his divorce from his previous wife was
final, Ray and Berry Gordy were married.
Songs :
When My Teenage Days Are Over From This Day Forward
Charles Walker & The Daffodils (2) (Nashville, TN)
aka The Kinglets
Personnel :
Charles Walker (Lead)
Larry Birdsong
The Kinglets :
Don “Sonny” Taylor
Ricky Roland
Frank Talley
Discography :
Charles Walker & The Daffodils (2)
1959 - No Fool No More / Slave to Love (Champion 1014)
The Kinglets
1956 - Six Days a Week (And Sundays Too) / You Gotta Go (Calvert 101)
The Kinglets with Leroy Thomas
1959 - Pretty Please / My Baby Don't Need Changing (Bobbin 13338)
Biography :
Charles Walker was born in Nashville, Tennessee on July 12, 1940.
Charles or “Wigg,” as he is known by his friends (his mother nicknamed
him when he was born with a full head of hair), began singing at an
early age in church and school. He cut his first record in 1959 for Ted
Jarrett’s legendary Champion label. One cut, “Slave To Love,” was
credited to Charles Walker and the Daffodils. In fact, there was no such
group as the Daffodils. The backup singers on the record were label
mates the Kinglets and Larry Birdsong.
Larry Birdsong
Jarrett ran or worked for a number of Nashville soul, blues, and
gospel labels, including Champion, Calvert, Cherokee, Poncello, and
T-Jaye. He produced for artists such as Christine Kittrell, The
Fairfield Four, Larry Birdsong, Roscoe Shelton, The Avons and the
Kinglets. Like many groups before and after them, the Kinglets were
primarily a backup vocal group for single artists on their labels. The
group consisted of Don “Sonny” Taylor, Ricky Roland & Frank Talley.
They cut “Six Days a Week“ and “You Gotta Go“ in early 1956, both songs
composed by Ted Jarrett. Another single will be released in 1959
credited to The Kinglets with Leroy Thomas with ”Pretty Please” again
composed by Ted Jarrett.
Ted Jarrett
In
1960, Charles Walker moved to New York City where studios and nightclub
work were plentiful. 1962 found Charles recording with Chess Records
out of Chicago, and soon he signed on as lead singer with the J.C. Davis
Band. This band began touring the country opening for the greats of the
era including James Brown, Jackie Wilson, Etta James, Wilson Pickett,
Little Willie John, Otis Redding, and Sam Cooke. The J.C. Davis Band
recorded some real barnstormers for Chess like “Sweet Sweet Love” and
“The Chicken Scratch.” In 1964, Charles formed his own group, Little
Charles and the Sidewinders. They became one of the most in demand soul
bands in New York City’s nightclub scene, performing at the Apollo
Theater, Small’s Paradise and venturing out to Las Vegas and Atlantic
City. They subsequently recorded for Chess and Decca labels.
Jeff Kanew, Bruce Carter, Reid Carter and Nick Cardell
The Four Fifths (Bethpage, NY)
Personnel :
Nick "Cardell" Cardella
Bruce Carter
Reid Carter
Jeff Kanew
Discography :
The Four Fifths
1963 - Come On Girl (Be Mine) / After Graduation (Hudson 8001)
Nick Cardell
1963 - Arlene / How Can I Help It (Liberty 55556)
1964 - Everybody Jump / I Stand Alone (Amcam 405)
Biography :
Group from Beth Page,LI. consisted of Nick"Cardell" Cardella, Bruce
Carter, Reid Carter and Jeff Kanew. In 1963 they recorded on the New
Jersey Hudson Records... Did not chart nationally in Billboard, but
released as a single in 1963. Written by Bruce Carter, Jeff Kanew and
Nick Cardell. B-side is "Come On Girl (Be Mine)". Before recording with
the Four Fifths, Nick Cardell recorded as first tenor for Jay Walker & The Pedestrians In 1962, with Peter Antell on lead.
From
Top : Nick Cardell, Reid Carter, Jeff Kanew and Bruce Carter
Nick Cardell
Peter Antell (Peter Blaize Antonio) and
John Linde from New York are two song writers and singers who had some
success providing material for Cameo Parkway Records in the early 1960s.
They were also members of the group The Chants. In 1963, The duo wrote
Four songs for Nick Cardell released on two singles in 1963 & 1964.
1961 - So Tuff / Over You (Pains In My Heart) (Edsel 786 / Mack IV 05)
1962 - Zing Went The Strings Of My Heart / Never More (Mack IV 112)
1962 - If There's A Next Time / Another Fella (Mack IV 114)
1962 - I Really Feel Good / The Old Days (Mack IV 115)
1964 - Gee Baby / Somebody's Fox (Mack IV 117)
1964 - I Lost My Baby / What Is Soul (Mack IV 118)
1964 - Where My Money Goes / Cover Girl (Aura 396)
1964 - Baby You Can Bet Your Boots / The Man Who Has Everything (Liberty 55692)
1964 - If I Didn't Have A Dime / Dream (Liberty 55719)
1964 - Anything For You / Cat 'N Mouse (World Pacific 386)
The Centennials
1961 - My Dear One / The Wayward Wind (Dot 16180)
Biography :
JJerome Evans started singing when he was a mere 3 years old
imitating songs he heard on the radio. Growing up in the West Los
Angeles neighborhood of 42nd Street between Broadway and Main, Jerome
starting "foolin' around" with his brothers and some other friends
singing in amateur shows in 1952. Later, Jerome formed a group called
the Cyclones along with Robert Washington, Melvin White and George
Taylor. In 1959, the Cyclones recorded "Big Mary" for George Motola's
Forward Records (Forward 313). In the same period Jerome Evans had been a
member of The Lions & The Centennials.
Jimmy Green
Jimmy McEachin (Mack)
Later,
in 1962, the four members of the Cyclones joined Jimmy Green (the
brother of Vernon Green of the Medallions) to form a new group. The
group was practicing one day when songwriter/producer Jimmy McEachin
(who wrote such novelty hits as the Fight and Gravel Gert for the Barons
in 1959) heard them and decided to take them into the studio giving
them their new name - the Furys. The group recorded a number of records
for McEachin including So Tough b/w I've Got a Pain in My Head (Over
You) (Edsel 786 -1961).
"Over You" did pretty well for 6 months and was played a lot on KGFJ
and was pushed by Hunter Hancock on his radio show. The Furys later
would score on McEachin's own Mark IV label with a rendition of "Zing
Went the Strings of My Heart" b/w "Never More" . Of all the groups that
recorded Zing, the Furys' version is probably the most recognized.
That was the beginning of everything for the Furys, working with the
William Morris agency, the group did a lot of big shows.
The Furys later moved to Liberty records where they recorded "Man Who
Has Everything" b/w "Baby, You Can Bet Your Boots" and "If I Didn't
Have A Dime" b/w "Dream" and the World Pacific label where they cut "Cat
'N Mouse" b/w "Anything For You .The Furys also recorded under the
name of Private Eye and did Charlie Chan and Dances With Charlie Chan
(Kris Records). When the British invasion hit, the Furys went overseas
doing tours in Japan and in southeast asia (in 1970). The group later
disbanded in the early 1970's.
